Weighing desktop vs. mobile Facebook campaigns

Today’s post is by Stanna Johnson, online content writer and social media enthusiast.

There is an awful lot of buzz around Facebook mobile and how this version of Facebook is better for advertisers looking to grow their brand. But for every person shouting “Tastes great!” there’s another shouting, “Less filling!”

What we have going on within the advertising world now is a genuine debate: Is Facebook mobile better or is Facebook desktop still king? It’s not exactly a cut-and-dry debate. There are many variables to consider, and the fact that the mobile market’s projections in the coming years are so huge could actually skew the debate.

What advertising format is preferable is what everyone is trying to find out right now; here are some pros and cons on both mobile and desktop.

The Pros and Cons of Mobile

Pros

– Updates in the news feed are able to reach customers directly via their mobile devices, which means they’re accessible anytime, anywhere for Facebook users.

– For mobile platforms, the average user spends 8 hours a month on Facebook

– Mobile ads have a higher CTR

– Actions are taken more frequently via Facebook mobile

Cons

– Facebook hasn’t devoted nearly as much attention to their mobile methods as their main desktop site, meaning the platform is still primitive (in the context of Facebook; think: 2008 FB for desktop)

– There are many different mobile devices to cater to specifically for optimal results

The Pros and Cons of Desktop

Pros

– Able to (currently) reach a much larger audience, as most of Facebook’s members use the desktop site

– The majority of new Facebook users—despite the growing mobile marketing demographic—are still signing up with the site through its primary desktop version

– Desktop is a more feature-rich platform

– Certain audiences, including B2B, are more likely to use Facebook on desktops

Cons

– The costs of advertising on desktop are higher (again, currently)

– Like it or not, the mobile market will inevitably swallow up the home computer market

The Bottom Line

So, what you should take away from this comparison? The bottom line here seems to be that the classic desktop Facebook gives you more overall reach (for now) and ad-type options. For brands looking to grow using Facebook, desktop still offers more benefits.

Brands using mobile Facebook seem to have the most success when attempting to specifically target mobile users, not Facebook users and markets in general. (For more thoughts around this, you can refer to this study on Facebook Mobile).

While it may seem as if mobile wins out with higher CTR and lower advertising costs, you have to remember that sharing content to create more traffic and targeting new users are incredibly important aspects to your Facebook campaign. So while mobile ads may squeak by with higher engagement numbers per their respective reach, desktop may be the more vibrant, active market – at least for now.